Improvement in apparatus for the manufacture of tubes, pipes



UNITED STATES -BEJAMIN RHODES, OF OLD FORD ROAD BOW, ENGLAND JAMESMCGEARY, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETT PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OFTUiBES, IPIPES, &'c.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,317, dated January67,1863.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, BENJAMIN RHODES, of

Old Ford Road Bow, in the county of Middlesex, England, have inventedimprovements in the machinery for and in the method of making cylinders,tubes, and otherwvessels from paper and other materials or fabrics; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters marked thereon.

My improvements in the machinery for malr- Aing or manufacturingcylinders, tubes, 4and other vessels from paper or other materials orfabrics, consist, rst, in constructing a .machine as follows: I arrange.and place within the side frames for carrying or receiving the rollers,mandrels, and gearing, a bath forv containing bitumen in a heated state.Within the bath is immersed to about half itsdiametera cylinder ofsuitable size, the length-cori responding with the greatest length towhich j the'tubes or pipes can -be made from the width of the material'employed. The main cylinder, round which the sheet of material is madeto pass, may be made of cast-iron, with close ends and turned smooth; orit may be formed of strong wire-gauze around a frame or body, the endsof the cylinder in the latter case being open, to allow of the bitumenor mastic penetrating, and thereby coating, the

surface of the fabric in contact with the cylinder. The main cylinderismounted at each,

end in bearings in the side frames, and mot-ion isgiven by means ofwheel-gearing. The

bath being at one end of lthe main framing, there is mountedabove-themain cylinder the roller from whichthe sheet of continuous material iswound, and the various parts of the apparatus connected witl1 thewinding off', guiding, saturating or bitumenizing, coiling up orforming, and also the revolving pressure-roller and the various levers,guides,

and gearing connected therewith, as also the means of raising, lowering,and' otherwise moving the several parts, and also the apparatus forcutting the sheet of material after each article .has been formed. Atthe opposite-end of the machine is mounted a cylinder, which may be usedas apolishing-cylinder,'or, when desired, may be used as a cere formaking large pipes. This cylinder is after it has been released from thejaws of the arms in which it had'worked, rolls till it is brought incontact with thepolishing-cylinder.

v'Thearrangement of the parts of' the machine by which the formation ofthe tubes or pipes' is effected consists in disposing and arrangingavibrating-frame above the main cylinder, for the purpose of carryingIthe mandrel v and permitting of a rising-and-falling -motion tocompensate for the dierence in diameter of such .core,. and also of the,graduallyincreasing thickness of the coating coiled or. wound aroundit., This frame being sus pended at each end, one end-of each leverarmis formed as a toothed quadrant, which receives motion from acorresponding pinion, one of whichis ttedto each end of a spindle orshaft, so that by means of a hand-wheel at each extremity the mandrel orcore is raised and lowered at pleasure. The opposite end of each of thelever-arms forming the vibrat-j ing frame is a double jaw or' gripper,within which the core is held, whileit is free to revolve when motion iscommunicated to it either through a toothed wheel-or other suitablegearing". Above the mandrel is mounted a freely-revolvingpressure-roller, supported at -each end in a lever or arm, and capableof being loaded or acted upon by springs to give the requisite degree ofpressure. These leverarms, with the pressure-roller, are capable ofbeing raised and lowered by means of a chain or rope winding oi' and ona llong shaft or spindle revolving in bearings and rotated by ahand-wheel or winch-handle, and retained -iul any position by means of apawl and ratchet.

The roller or shaft containing the roll of paper or other material issupported loosely in bear- 'in gs at the top of the machine, from whencethe paper passes through a slot or guide on its way to the bath. Beneaththe paper-roller is mounted a series of curved knives which are vactedupon or projected forward simultane.-

, A'ssrenon sro yframe are opened and the'v spindle of the mandrel isreceived upon the inclined rails and caused to roll downthe inclineuntil it comes in contact with the polishing-roller, where it is held bya lever-arm on each side of the frame until the tube is finished.

For the purpose of cutting the ends of tubes thus made, or for thepurpose of forming a se riesof short lengths of tube or socket piecestherefrom, I mount several arms containinglknife-blades or cutters atone end upon a square shaft so that their distance apart may beadjusted; and, as the squarev shaft works in bearings and is moved by alever and treadle, the cutters can be simultaneously brought into actionwhen they are required, and are thrown out of action or lowered when notrequired. '4

For making tubes or cylinders of large si ze say of three or four feetdiameterthe large polishing-cylinder may be converted into a mandrel,and the requisite pressure and polishing of the tube may be effectedbythe freely-revolvin g cylinder or roller mounted'at the back of themachine, as hercinbet'ore referred to; or a roller may be lit-ted incarriages at someintermediate point between the two parts of themachine, and by means of springs or weighted-levers it may be keptpressed against the polishing-cylinder during the accumulation of thematerial around the mandrel. Rotary motion is communicated to each ofthe parts requiring to be turned through wheel-gearing, and maybedisconnectcd and connected by means of clutches. The bath has a furnacebeneath it by which the bitumenis maintained at a proper temperature. Agaging-roller is introduced into the bath and made to press against thepaper and regulate the amount of bitumen taken up or retained by thepaper on its way to the mandrel.

In the accompanying drawingsl have shown two views of a machineconstructed according to this invention. Under the several figures thesame letters of reference are employed to represent like-orcorresponding parts of the machine or apparatus.

A is an octagonal roller, upon which the sheet of paper or other fabricis wound.

a is a wrought-iron pan having furnaces underneath with lues arranged sdas to'distribnte the heat to every part of the bottom and sides of thepan. The parts immediately over the tires are protected with fire-'tilesto prevent the plates'from burning.

B is an iron cylinder or roller, so xed as to be about one-half itsdiameter within the pan. This cylinder is open at the ends and isperforated in its surface to admit of the bitumen passing through-it andcome in contact with the side of the sheet of paper next its surface.

C is a pair of arms working on axles l), attached to the main framing ofthe machine, and capable of being adjusted by means of set-screws. Thesearms aremade with jaws at the ends immediately over the center of thebitumen-roller B,- and made to open and shut by means of small leversand eccentries c.

The opposite curved ends of each arm have circular toothed racks d,which are set out o'r struck from the working-center. A pair of pinions,e, keyed on a shaft or bar running through from side to side of themachine, are

made to gear into the rack, and by means of a pair of hand-wheels, f f,the arms are raised orv lowered at pleasure.

c is the mandrel or core upon which the pipe is to be made. The size ofthe mandrel may be varied according to the diameter of pipe required tobe made. Each mandrel may, when required, be provided with a movableconical collar-as marked gof larger diameter than the mandrel, for thepurpose'of making pipes with tapered or conical sockets or faucets. Thelarge cylinder B may also be fitted with a movable piece at the end, ofa corresponding shape to the conical piece on the mandrel. This is `madein sections, so as to be easily movable.

r D is a hollow cylinder or roller, held in posi tion at each end bymeans of lever-bearings. The said cylinder is raised and lowered bymeans of chains attached and passing round a shaft, as shown. It hashollow axles, and by means of a flexible tube a current of cold watermay be passed through it to keep it cool. 'll-his is the pressure-rollerbefore referred to, and is intended to be used in the manufacture ofsmall pipes or tubes to prevent the mandrels from .springing whileresting thereon while the pipe is being wound or coiled up.

Eis what I call a gaging-roller.77 It is sup ported by a rocking bar, k,and arms or levers l, and'is made to press against the large cylinder Bby means ofsprin gs or their e 1uivalents.` The Workman, by placing hisfootupon a lever, m, communicating .with the rocking bar that supportsthe roller, can put it out of contact while the end of the sheet isbeing brought up to the upper surface of the large cylinder B, onstarting to coil the pipe.

F is a polished hollow cylinder mounted in bearings on the main framing.It is provided with an occasional supply of cold water passing throughthe inside of the same. It is made to revolve at a slow speed by meansof bevel- Wheels communicating with the main shaft G, upon which similargear is fitted for setting in motion the large cylinder, B', the 'shaftof which is fitted with a clutch-wheel, a, atv the end nearest the mainshaft, and is thrown in and out of gear by means of a lever having astud working in a groove in the said clutch. The opposite end of theshaft has also a spurwheel, o, of the same diameter as the largecylinder, but keyed on and geared into wheels partly supported by thesaid shaft and partly by the main framing of the-machine by means oflinks p and an axle that can be moved up and down-in a slot, q, so as togear and set in` motion the spur-wheels on the. ends of each mandrel,irrespective of the size fsame, and by this means the increase ofdiameter is compensated for while the pipe is being coiled or woundaround the mandrels.

H is a rocking bar, supported by the main framing ot' the machine. Ithas a number of arms, r, so fitted as to slide upon it, and capable ofadjustmentby means of set-screws. Each arm has a slot at the end, inwhich a knife is held by means of set-screws, so that they can bereadily removed for the purpose of sharpening, the use of these knivesbeing to square or cut oft' theirregular ends of the pipes as theyrevolve against the cooling-cylinder F, and, by adjustment, to cut pipesinto short lengths cr collars, if required. This bar is so arranged thatthe workman at the machine, by placing his foot upon la lever, s, can

bring up the knives in contact with the re- :volving pipe.

' I I are two bars, and are capable ot' adjustment by nuts and screws,according to the. size of pipes being made, set slightly on the incline,so that the mandrel C, beingV loesened from the jaws e c, will revolveby its own weight until it arrives at the cooling and polishing cylinderF. Two small bearings, J J, are xed on the incline planes I I, and bymeans of studs or axlescan be turned up and held by springs, thuskeeping the mandrel rmly held against the cooling and polishing cylinderF. v

K is a small cooling roller or cylinder, supported in two jaws, fu u,keyed onto the rocking bar and supported in the main framing. It is onlyrequired to be used in the manufacture of cylinders of very largediameter. Immediatelyunder the paper roll isplaced au apparatuscontaining a number of steel cuting tov make a pipe, a mandrel is coatedwith soap or grease, to prevent vthe bitumen lsticking. It is thenplaced in the jaws B B, and the sheet of paper or other material isbrought down from the roll A, the end passing between the cuttin g-barsL. It is then stuck to the large cylinder B, which, being gently turnedby theworkman, brings up the end of the sheet through the bath Iofmelted bitumen,

and presents it on the upper surface' immedt.

ately under the mandrel, which, being pressed fixed over the paperroller, which may be i wound thereon. The workman then puts the knivesinto operation, andso cut-s oli the sheet from the paper roll, leavingthe end ready to renew the operation as before. The mandrel is allowedto revolve a few moments, and then the jaws are opened, which liberatethe mandrel and allow it t0 run down the inclines I I until it comes incontact with the lcooling and polishing cylinder F. Sandor line gravelmay then be scattered or sit'ted onto the surface of the pipe and bepressed into the soft bituminous coating. rlhe small lever-bearingsJ Jare then turned up against the spindle of the mandrel, and by means ofsprings are held so as to press against the cooling and polishingcylinder. The mandrel is then lifted by means ot'a crane and taken hold1 of by'a crab, placed immediately over a well of cold water, into whichit is lowered, and when sufficiently cool is then raised, the upper endbeing guided between a pair of iron brackets having slots for adjustmentfor the different-sized mandrels. The end of the pipe coming incontact with the brackets, the mandrel is withdrawn. While this is beingdone, the operation of winding is being renewed at the front 'of themachine, and thus the process is almost continuous. The pipes are then'washed to cleanse them from the grease. When dry, they may have a glazeor cement lining put upon'the inside by pouring melted bitumen o r othercement through them.

Preparation of the ends of the pipes for joining: A galvanized 'orglazed iron hoop may be inserted in the spigot end of the pipe, toprotect the end and give support te the same, and a wrought-iron ring orhoop may be cemented on the large or faucet end, so as to strengthen andgive support when the pipes are being forced one within the other, thespigot end being turned or cutaway tol the same taper as ythe faucet,and which may be slightly warmed orsoftened inside before being joinedtogether, or the surfaces may be touched with alittle varnish or luting.

In the drawing of my machine I have show the rollers and cylinders withconical additions at their ends for ,forming the ends correspondingthereto; but for making plain or parallel tubes those would not be used,and

"they may be removed.

In making pipes taper or of different thicknesses, the paper or sheet ofmaterial is gradually or proportionately reduced in width before it iswound on.

Instead ofbitumen being employed alone in the bath or pan for coatingand saturating the paper or other material, I employ the distiied gastarncombintion therewith, or l form :L mastic With bitumen and anyoonvenient liquid capable of resisting the action of Water and Ioir.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1L The general consnruotion andarrange;

mont of parts of the machinery or appara-tus ooating of. the 'materialemployed for forming pipes,

3. The use or employment of cold. water circulating through the toppressure-rollen and the cooling and polishing cylinder offpp makingmachines. i

In testimony Whereof have signedfmy n name to this specification inthepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

BENJAMIN R'HGEES Witnesses:

GEORGE Shams, WILLIAM Bonmns. v

